What is the best social media channel for my business?
Mark Schaefer
Top Voice in Personal Branding, Marketing strategist, keynote speaker, university educator, futurist, and bestselling author of "Marketing Rebellion," "KNOWN," and "Belonging to the Brand."
I've been blogging for more than a decade and I realized I've never answered this question -- the most-asked question I receive -- "What is the best social media channel for my business?"
So I will try to answer it today.
I normally cringe when I hear this question because to give a very specific answer, I would need to know a lot more about the company, competition, etc. The optimal marketing mix might be different for every business.
But I do have a general answer ... and it might surprise you.
Is it really about the best social media channel?
When somebody asks this question, it's normally because they are just starting out with social media -- and they're overwhelmed! They have some inclination that their business needs to be on Facebook or LinkedIn and they don't know where to start.
Here is the place to start: You're asking the wrong question.
You see, the real value in marketing is driven by content. The content is the fuel behind the social media engine. Social media is simply the distribution system for the content. So the first question isn't "What is the best social media channel for my business?" It's "What is the best content for my business?"
Again, it might seem overwhelming, but it's not.
If you're asking this question, you're probably a small company with limited resources. So, you can't do everything and be everywhere. To keep it simple, you basically have four content choices:
To stand out on the web you can't be great in 10 places. So if you have limited resources, my recommendation is to focus on one content form, master it, and build an audience. Create something meaningful at least once a week.
Which content form do you choose? There are many considerations like competition and customers, but in the end, I recommend choosing something you enjoy because you will have to stick with it for a long time to have success.
Social media is a distribution system
Are you creating great content? Now you have some fuel to power your social media engine.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Many of these activities can be automated, assigned to a virtual assistant, or you can do it yourself once you have the content.
What is the best social media channel for my business?
Now let's get more specific.
With limited resources, you can probably only succeed in a limited number of places. Let's focus on your GOALS.
I recently had a student who managed social media for a high-end private athletic club. You might think they need to be posting on LinkedIn, or perhaps Facebook.
But we had to consider the GOAL.
All their memberships were sold out. Their biggest goal right now is finding enough workers for their kitchen staff. So they are considering content on TikTok showing what a fun place it is for employees. On the surface, the teen-oriented TikTok seems like a strange place for this elite business ... but not when you consider the needs of the club right now.
That's why it's hard for me to be prescriptive in any general way about the best social media channel without knowing many details about the goals of the business and the competitive landscape.
What are your short-term and long-term goals? Don't post just to post. Serve the goals of the business.
Best social media channel strategy
I think if you follow the three steps I've discussed today, you'll get your company in the ballpark when choosing the best social media channel:
Now, this post only addresses an organic (non-advertising) social media strategy. There would be another set of considerations for a paid strategy, and most businesses need that too. But in general, I think this should help you sort through the best social media channel for your business on a macro level.
I appreciate you and the time you took out of your day to read this! You can find more articles like this from me on the top-rated {grow} blog and while you’re there, take a look at my Marketing Companion podcast and my keynote speaking page. For news and insights find me on Twitter at @markwschaefer, to see what I do when I’m not working, follow me on Instagram, and to discover my $RISE creator community here.
Helping Visionary Leaders Make Themselves and Their Team Fit for the Future. Key Note Speaker & TED❌ Speaker-Coach, Author & Expert For Growth, Innovative Thinking, and Future Skills
2yFor business purposes I think it's LinkedIn, would you agree?
Helping industry experts tell their stories. Owner & Founder of Come Alive. Podcasting since the iPod Classic.
2yExcellent answer Mark. Starting with your goal is crucial in deciding what you need. For example, most people think listens or downloads = success for podcasting. They don't. One of our past clients had a very niche show that only received a little over 100 downloads per episode but they viewed it as a huge success. Context- they were using it to onboard new employees and in their sales process. It gave a fast inside look of their services directly from their existing customers. A different client of ours has a show that averages close to 10K listens per episode. That's been perfect for them because they are using it as "change agent" style content. Plus they are funding it through big donors and obviously strong analytics help with that. Good stuff. Thanks for publishing this one.
I Empower Boards, Volunteers & Executives, to Refine, Reinvigorate & Reimagine, their Influence, Insights & Impact, on their Members, Ecosystems & the World
2yThank you Mark Schaefer - I’m finding that the content business is full of folk that confuse the reason for the message, the message, the content and the delivery system. I would appreciate hearing the next step which is once you’ve started your delivery through say LinkedIn, how do you organically grow your audience through your blog. Thank you again.
Ghostwriters for Risk and Insurance | Reducing business risk one blog at a time | Mom of 5
2yThank you, thank you, thank you. I tell my clients this all the time. Distribution is key to getting your content read, and social media is just one distribution channel. Well said Mark Schaefer!
Book coach and adviser to business leaders. Self publishing expert. Author. Increase your impact, recognition and visibility. Write, publish and successfully sell your business book. I can show you how. Ask me now.
2yMark Schaefer terrific article. As someone who helps business people with their books I have a very similar conversation. I also get them to think about who they are writing their book for, what are their challenges and what social media and other platforms they are engaging with...as that helps focus where they should be.